How do You Balance Life and Writing?

By DL Jackson

I’ve been writing professionally for over ten years now, and published for about as long. Being an author and wife/mother/grandmother/employee is indeed a delicate balance. Time is the one currency, that once you spend it, you don’t get it back. There are no refunds, exchanges and discounts. You can try to save time, but honestly, once it slips through the hour glass it’s gone. It’s how you spend it that counts.

About six years ago in my mixed martial arts class we discussed time. Essentially time equals life. When you put it in that prospective, you realize anyone who wastes your time is taking a sliver of your life, something you can never get back. Therefore, what you spend your time on should always be a priority. So, what is a priority?

I look at it this way. If it makes me happy, makes others happy, allows me to make a mark on this world in one way or another, it is something I will spend my time on. I have walked away from jobs because they didn’t make me happy. I have walked away from time leeching relationships that brought me nothing but misery.

When I sit down to write a book, I ask myself. Is this worth my time? Will it be worth my reader’s time? Every book I’ve written has passed that initial question.

So, how does one balance a full time job, family and love of writing?

I’ve written every novel, novella and story from within the cab of my vehicle on my lunch hour and during my breakfast. There I can focus and separate it from work and family. There I don’t cut into time I’ve set aside for other things. The Bank of D. L. keeps a tight schedule and as an author, if you want to be successful, you need to be able to put cheeks to chair and focus every day, if only for a few minutes. My goal isn’t necessarily an hour, but word count. If I can reach 1000k words, I’m done. I put it away and spend the remainder of my balance on something else.

In my most recent release, my Military Heroes Bundle, all the stories were written in this fashion, the same way every novel has since I started this writing adventure. The first book is very special to me. I wrote Cinderella Wore Combat Boots during a very uncertain time. I wanted to honor a son who’d joined the Marines, yet tell a story so many never see or hear, of a brother and sisterhood, of men and women in arms. The story is so much more than a romance; it’s about seasoned veteran leaving the military behind and the struggles she must face when she is forced to start a new chapter of her life, one that begins with civilian life. Getting out of the military is filled with so much uncertainty. What will I do? Where will I go. Will my brothers and sisters be okay without me? “I’ve got your six” is a way of life in the military. Walking away from that duty isn’t easy, but Corey Valentine must do it because of a medical discharge.

Then there was Being Prince Charming. Thousands of military spouses struggle everyday to find balance between their marriage and duties. August, or Gunny’s situation, is no different. He loves being a Marine, and has a hard time separating his home life and duty to the Marine Corp, to the point he almost loses the woman he loves forever. This is a story of empty-nesters, the stress the military places on marriage and you guessed it, another second chance story where hard choices must be made.

The third story is a little bit different from the first two. It has some fantasy and some reality, but it too has a military foundation. Seducing Liberty is a little bit time travel and a little bit historical. I wanted to write a story about specific past heroes who served as spies, as I was a member of the intelligence community at one time myself. Washington’s Culper Spy Ring, and the roots of The United States’ Intelligence organization has always been a story I’ve wanted to tell. The Culper Spy Ring is a fascinating study in men and women who fought to save a country in its infancy by collecting and planting information. It’s not just about winning land, but an ideal, a way of life, freedoms we take for granted today that were life and death matters to young men and women of the American Revolution.

I do have to say this was the hardest book to write of the three, not because I didn’t love the subject matter, as I plan to write a new adult series based on the American Revolution and centered on the Culper Spy Ring. Few know while I was penning this story and going through edits, I lost two of the most important people to me, my fraternal grandfather and grandmother. Every word was a struggle to put to paper. My mind went numb with pain. However, I continued on and something amazing happened. Every word I wrote helped to pull up from my grief and depression. This story means so much more to me that a simple romance, it literally helped me through one of the most difficult times of my life.

Blurbs:

Cinderella Wore Combat Boots ~

Sometimes Fairytales come true...

First Sergeant Cori Valentine faces a bleak future. She’s turning forty in three weeks and life as she knows it is over. An injury received while on deployment has earned her an early retirement from the Marine Corps, something she’s not sure she’ll survive. Things get even better when interfering Marines set her up on a blind date for a party she doesn’t want. The guy has to be a total toad to want to go out with her. Right?

When Madame Eve informs Retired SEAL, Sol Keller she’s found his perfect match, he doesn’t believe it, but takes up the challenge. One look at the First Sergeant in a sexy dress and combat boots has him wondering if fairytales really can come true. Madame Eve might be the legendary Fairy Godmother, and Cori his Cinderella. Sol intends to show the Marine beauty a Prince Charming she’ll never forget, and that retirement isn’t the end of her story but merely the beginning.

Being Prince Charming ~

“You’re no Prince Charming.”

Words screamed in anger, an empty nest, empty life--there are a lot of reasons people divorce. For Gunny, a diehard Marine who refuses to give up the Corps, and Lissa his wife of over twenty years, the reason isn’t a good one. When words exchanged in anger morph beyond their control, Lissa leaves and August doesn’t go after her, letting his pride get in the way.

Two years later, Lissa is about to move on with her life and marry another man, except her reason isn’t the right one either. Her heart still belongs to a Marine she left behind.

Now, an unexpected gift in the form of a 1Night Stand may change everything.

August is back, looking for a second chance, but this time he isn’t letting Lissa walk away without a fight. He’s thrown everything he’s got into their date to prove that he can still be her Prince Charming. But if he can’t convince her in one night it’s for keeps, he may very well lose the only woman he’s ever loved.

Seducing Liberty ~

Out of the mists of time, rides a story of espionage, love, and a 1Night Stand.

When Ryann Summers, an actress playing the role of Lady Liberty, an Agent in Washington’s Culper spy ring, asks Madame Eve of 1Night Stand for a date, a night she’ll never forget—where her identity is kept secret—she gets more than she bargained for.

Now she’s caught in the middle of the American Revolution and between two of the sexiest men she’s ever set eyes on. If she can survive the musketballs and the invading British forces, she just might find everything she’s been searching for—sex hot enough to set the sea on fire.

I hope you’ll check out my military heroes’ bundle, and some of my favorite stories.

Best,

D L Jackson

A Sexy Pen Pal

Available HERE

By Ann Mayburn

I remember way back in the day in the 7^th grade when we were all set up with Pen Pals from Brazil. At first I was all excited, imagining this exotic mystery person telling me about their daily life in Rio, day dreaming about said pen pal being this hot teenage guy who’d woo me with his letters and I’d eventually move down to Brazil with him and live happily ever after. My pen pal turned out to be a chick who was way more interested in fashion than I was but we talked about nail polish for a couple letters before things petered out.

Those daydreams about having a hot pen pal were some of the inspiration for Seducing Helena. Except in Helena’s case, her pen pal is a hot guy, in this case an uber hot Marine, who does want his happily ever after with her, except for one small thing. She’s hidden the fact that she’s really a super model from him. All her life Helena has been judged on her looks and when she has the opportunity for a guy to like her for who she really is, and not just her pretty face, she finds that she can’t resist being not quite honest with him and pretends to be a photographer’s assistant instead of telling Seth the truth, that she’s one of the world’s most desired women.

When Seth’s time in the Marine’s comes to an end he’s eager to see the woman that’s written him every day without fail, always lifting his spirits and slowly stealing his heart. She’s everything he’s ever wanted in a woman but he can’t understand why she’ll never send him a picture even though he’s promised that no matter what she looks like, he likes her. They make plans to see each other after Seth gets out and Helena’s faced with the fact that her lies may have doomed what could be her chance at real happiness with a good guy. If you’d like to find out what happens with Helena and Seth, I’ll give you a hint-it has a happily ever after ending with lots of hot smexy time, check out Seducing Helena. I hope you enjoy it and as always, thank  you for giving me the chance to entertain you.

Blurb: Supermodel Helena Flores didn’t plan to fall in love with her Marine pen pal, but he’s funny, kind, and so hot she can’t resist. Determined to see if Seth will like her for the woman she is on the inside, she pretends her job in the fashion industry is behind the camera rather than in front of it.

Seth Morgan fell in love with Helena’s words and mind. When he finds out she’s a girl who can have any man she wants, he wonders what she could possibly see in him. But this Marine is determined and plans to seduce her so thoroughly, until all she can see is him and their picture-perfect love. 

My Most Wonderful Time of the Year

By Heather Long

I can't believe it's already that time of year, of course it seems to come earlier and earlier with every new retail season. Once upon a time someone asked me what was my favorite holiday of the year and I would have to say it was Christmas. or at least the Christmas season.

We have several holiday traditions. Among these traditions, no buying anything for yourself after November 1. This can be a real pain in the ass, particularly for those who have problems with impulse shopping. Not that I resemble this remark. Much.

When I was growing up, we always put the tree out the day after Thanksgiving. No Christmas decorations were allowed until Thanksgiving was over. While I still honor this tradition most of the time, I always found it strange that my parents did when they did not celebrate Thanksgiving.

In 2000, my daughter was born on November 30. I decided rather arbitrarily at the time that we would no longer automatically put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving because I wanted my daughter's birthday to not be so tightly associated with Christmas. In large part because I had several friends his birthday fell on or around Christmas Day.

My daughter liked this idea for a while, but now she prefers to put the decorations up on or around Thanksgiving. Most years we split the difference and do it the day after. This year, we’re actually doing at the day before. And although we are putting them up the day before Thanksgiving and decorating the tree, we will not turn on the decorations or the Christmas lights until late Thanksgiving night or the day after.

Why the difference this year? Because my daughter's birthday falls the day after Black Friday. Which brings us to another holiday tradition—Black Friday. Not my favorite day of the year. Why might you ask? I think it's because I'm not a shopper and I don't like big crowds. Of course that's exactly what my daughter wants for her birthday—to go Black Friday shopping.

Still, the beauty of the holidays is spending time together and if that means braving the crowds or putting up decorations early or taking an angel off the angel tree to buy a present for a child in need or as I'm doing this year with my holiday Marines and trying to donate a large sum to Toys for Tots, and that's exactly what we'll do.

Love is the ultimate form of loyalty, or so I read in a beautiful line in Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh. It is the ultimate form of loyalty and puts the needs of the beloved above oneself. And I think at the core of all the holidays at this time of year we should always put the needs of those we love and those who are beloved above ourselves.

There is no greater gift than the joy in the eyes of another. I truly believe this. In 2000, I received the best Christmas present ever. My daughter was just three weeks old and all the presents under the tree, and all the decorations, and all the events, and all of the trappings—none filled me with joy more than she did. Every year on Christmas I am reminded of that simple joy. So whether I ask for presents or even want presents the only present that matters to me is spending Christmas with her.

May your Christmas be full of joy and may you spend it with someone that you love and may you enjoy all of the bounty of this holiday season whether it is the miracles of Hanukkah the joy of giving thanks on Thanksgiving, surviving the longest night of the year and celebrating the return of the light with Yule, or sitting up and setting up for Santa visit—may it be merry and bright!

Marine Under the Mistletoe Recipe (Cracker Crack)

 By Heather Long

   No, it’s not a recipe for how to get a Marine under the mistletoe precisely, however, at one point in the book Rowan is baking cracker crack for the coven feast. And since this is one of my favorite dessert treats to make every holiday season, I thought I would share a little joy of the season with you and the recipe for your very own cracker crack. 

   I warn you, there is a reason I call this crack J 

Ingredients: 

1 package saltine crackers

1 cup brown sugar

2 bars of unsalted butter

2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Step 1

Line cookie pan with tin foil and preheat oven to 350 degrees i

Step 2

Spread package of saltine crackers out on foil i

Step 3

Mix brown sugar and butter together in sauce pan, bring to a boil. Boil for 3.5 minutes, stirring frequently i

Step 4

Pour butter/sugar mixture over crackers on foil, spread evenly. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes i

Step 5

Sprinkle 2 cups of chocolate chips evenly over top of whole pan. Put back into oven until chocolate is almost melted (~2 minutes) i

Step 6

Spread chocolate evenly with a spatula. Refrigerate overnight. Break into pieces and enjoy i

Enjoy Marine Under the Mistletoe with cracker crack this holiday season!

The mission of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December each year and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to these youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens.

This holiday collection of the Always a Marine series is dedicated to Toys for Tots and the men and women of the United States Marine Corps Reserve who dedicate their time, their efforts, and their funds to delivering this message of hope. A portion of the proceeds from each of these books will be donated to Toys for Tots to continue that mission. Semper Fi.

http://www.toysfortots.org

Marine Under the Mistletoe

He used to believe in magic… 
Kaiden Nelson looked like every other Marine, only most of his guys didn’t grow up in a family of nudists, celebrating the wheel of the year and the lunar cycles. His buddies wouldn’t name him a witch, either. But after more than a decade at war, Kaiden isn’t sure he can—or even wants to lay claim to that calling anymore. He’s got too much blood on his hands and he’s tired…tired of war, tired of fighting. Some days…he’s tired of living. When he’s sent on leave for the holidays, he’s unsure if he can ever really go home again. 

She’s a candle in the night… 
Rowan Harper lives in two worlds, the mundane where she handles tech issues for a major corporation and the pagan where she celebrates the sabbats and esbats with her coven. Like so many in the region, she keeps her beliefs private. It makes life more bearable from others who would judge, and she likes nothing better than the great sabbat retreats the coven takes to the sprawling Lake House. It’s a time where she sheds the shackles of everyday life and embraces the divine. 

The wheel turns…
When Kaiden turns up at the coven Yule, his Circle of family and friends are eager to welcome him. He feels unworthy of the open warmth and shies away to the darkness, but Rowan refuses to leave him in the shadows. Can the inexorable pull of one woman help him face down his demons as they hold vigil against the longest night of the year? 

A Candle for a Marine Playlist

By Heather Long

Last year right around this time, we were wrapping up from Halloween and beginning the holiday countdown. I knew I wanted to write a series of holiday Marines and I had a year to do it. From the first second I decided on that, I knew I wanted to write a Hanukkah book, largely because I couldn’t find that many Hanukkah romances.

So, as is my process, I let the ideas percolate in the back of my mind—but the character I knew clearly was Isaac. I knew he would be coming home to spend Hanukkah with his family, and that he’d had a very powerful reason for not having come home sooner. When it came time to begin writing the tale, I looked for music that communicated healing, reconciliation and miracles—and one lullaby that kept playing on an infinite loop was Hashkiveinu. I didn’t know why this particular song, but I’ve heard several different versions through the years and the one that I put on my playlist is one that I kept humming. 

Without further ado, here is the playlist for A Candle for a Marine, the tale of Isaac and Zehava, a second chance at love and a romance that required healing, reconciliation and a Hanukkah miracle. 

Hashkiveinu

What Hurts the Most

Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word

Please Forgive Me

Let’s Be Us Again

Saving the Best for Last

  

Do You Dream of a Marine Ever After?

Buy Marine Ever After HERE

By Heather Long

You know, it’s funny, when I was growing up—the accidental baby book was this huge thing in nearly ever romance I read and then along came ‘safe sex’ and ‘awareness’ and the accidental baby trope got a stern lesson in prophylactic action. Condoms are pretty much expected in most contemporaries these days—even if a woman is on birth control.

In a paranormal, you have wiggle room. Cause let’s face it, the chances of a vampire getting a woman pregnant are low depending on the vampire series. But I digress….

The accidental baby does still happen, whether you use a condom, whether you use any form of birth control, because none are 100% full proof. None.  One of the first romance novels I ever read was called Escape to Desire by Penny Jordan. I remember so much about this book, the hero’s name, the mad escape through the jungle, the guerillas (we would call them insurgents today) chasing the couple, and the night of stress-induced passion—and the really ugly spider bite that nearly killed the heroine.

I also remember she got pregnant and when she meets the hero again later, he doesn’t realize it's his kid right off (yeah, because math wasn’t his strong suit—but again I digress). I loved this book, loved it. I love the accidental baby trope probably because I’ve known so many women who found themselves in that position, they’re pregnant, not in a long-term relationship (or even some who are) and they have to make choices for them. Choices for their baby. And these are resilient women who take ownership of their lives and their choices, who do the best they can and they don’t always get a happily ever after with the guy.

But what if…?

Playing with Fire

As most of my readers know, I launched the Always a Marine series within Decadent’s 1Night Stand series. Although Marine Ever After isn't part of the 1Night Stand series itself, since it's not a planned hook up, it does have a one-night stand theme, the one-night stand being that evening where you abandon reason, embrace passion, and live for that moment. It’s okay to do this because for the most part, the next day you’ll go back to your life and everything will be normal—but what if it wasn’t?  That’s why, when I sat down to write this, I knew what would begin as an unplanned one-night stand would take me on a very romantic journey and boy did it ever.

A lot of readers will ask me what is my favorite Marine book and I always say that they are all my favorites. This is true, but Marine Ever After is special to me. Special in a way that’s hard to define—I think because it’s so romantic in places and yet so utterly real in others. It’s easy to get captivated by the fantasy, and reality has a way of intruding, but in Marine Ever After—fantasy and reality waltzed for me.

The Right Stuff

Paul Torres is a Master Sergeant. He’s smart, he’s charming, and he’s extremely witty.  He’s got a limited leave, but the man comes all the way to Texas to go to a buddy’s wedding. It’s the right thing to do, it’s about fraternity of spirit and friendship. And he’s also a man who when he sets his sights on something, oh my—he knows how to get it.

Hardly a Delicate Touch

Lillianna Hansen is a nurse, Army brat and resourceful in her own right. She’s very dedicated to her job, but she’s also a good friend. As it turns out, she’s also one of my first heroine’s in the series: Rebecca Ranier’s former college roommate. They spent four years at the same school and they developed a friendship that lasted. It was important for me to show this connection, because she sees all of our guys through a different filter. Fierce and protective, she’s also smart and sassy.  Her chemistry with Paul from the first moment was wildly organic, but she’s not delicate or shy—and when push comes to shove, she really turns into this remarkably grounded woman who knows what she wants.

Not Conducive to Romance

One of the hardest parts of the service for those who serve and those who love them is separation, and a lack of control over day-to-day life choices. If the average civilian is in love with a girl on the other side of the country, he has options. He can move to her, change his life around, easy peasy (yes I know that’s a generalization). But if you’re in the armed forces and you’re deployed or on assignment, you go where you’re sent and it doesn’t matter what else is happening, your time isn’t your own.

That’s not conducive to romance, but trust me when I say Paul—he’s the guy you want in your corner. This is a romance with challenges, separation, choices, and a hero and heroine determined to do right by themselves and each other.

I fell in love with Paul and Lillianna.

I invite you to do the same and learn whether Paul really can be Lillianna’s Marine Ever After… 

Blurb: Marine Paul Torres is used to women who enjoy the pleasure of the moment and whom he can bed with a wink and a smile. But with so many of his friends settling down, he’s turned on by the allure of finding the right partner as well. Even more so when he meets Lillianna Hansen while attending a wedding.

After a passionate night, Paul wakes to find her gone and though he wants more than a one-night stand with the alluring Lily, his limited leave is up and he’s forced to return to active duty.

All Lillianna thought she wanted was a good time. But Paul’s attention—even from thousands miles away—is hard to resist, and while she tells herself repeatedly she doesn’t want a relationship with a Marine, she can’t deny the consequences of their passionate night.

When she finds out she’s pregnant, she’s forced to reach out to Paul. But is she ready to let the father of her child be her Marine Ever After…. 

Excerpt: 

Sadly, the evening wedding meant the sun was already sinking as they exited, and the shadows lessened the chance he could tell what color her eyes were.

Photographs would be next and then a drive to the reception at Mike’s Place. If he played his cards right, they’d be in the same limo. But we have to dance…. A smile curved his mouth. He would have plenty of opportunity to stare at her eyes and determine their color then.

“Paul Torres,” he murmured.

“I’m sorry, what?” She glanced at him, a distracted smile softening her expression. It hit him like a fist to the gut. He needed to revise his earlier opinion—gorgeous didn’t do her justice.

“I’m Paul Torres, you must be Lillianna.” The only bridesmaid who’d missed the big rehearsal dinner. Not that I can complain…. He almost missed it, too. His flight landed an hour beforehand and only some skillful driving with Damon managed to get them both there in time to be in place before the bridesmaids did their obligatory walk.

“Yes, sorry. I can’t get over how happy she looks.” She let go of his arm and offered her gloved hand to shake. “And I’m Lillianna Hansen.” The urge to kiss it was a little too romance-novel for him, so he shook it then held onto it.

“The captain looks pretty happy, too. I think he got the better end of the bargain.” Paul chuckled. Every man from his unit seemed to be settling down in civilian life, marrying or pairing off. He’d served with most of the men in the groom’s party and earned his invitation when the wedding coincided with his leave. Unfortunately, one of Luke’s best friends—Brody—hadn’t been able to make it. The lieutenant remained on active duty in Afghanistan, but promised to visit the happy couple on his next trip through Dallas—probably to see his girl, the artist, as much as to see Luke.

“I hope so. There’s a tiny part of me that doesn’t like him.” Her announcement surprised him, but the photographer summoned them to join the bride and groom so he swallowed the question.

Five hundred photographs later, the dismissed wedding party made their way to the small fleet of waiting limousines. Jazz and her husbands loaded into one, the freshly marrieds got their own, James and Lauren claimed the third. Paul drifted back a little, and fortunately Lillianna waited for him as Damon and A.J. helped their bridesmaids into a limo and joined James and Lauren.

Score. We get the last one to ourselves.

“Everything all right?” She eyed him expectantly.

“Fine, I just wanted to check a button.” Lame, Paul. Lame. But it was the first excuse to pop into his head. He motioned for the limo and she shook her head and led the way. Beating her to the door, he opened it, handing her inside before slipping off his cover and joining her.

She sat opposite him in the wide area of the stretch, and on the far side. He considered swapping seats, but he liked looking at her better—even if only in the illumination of passing headlights. “I hope you’re ready for a big party.”

“Me, too.” Lillianna didn’t sound ready. He raised his eyebrows and she moistened her lips.

Damn. Mind out of the gutter. He gave his body the order, but too late to prevent the shock of reaction running riot through his system. If he hadn’t already been curious about her before, he definitely was then. Out. Of. The. Gutter.

Women in Uniform

 

In January 2013, the Department of Defense lifted the ban on women serving in combat roles.  While women have already served in positions that put them in harm’s way—no war can be fought without the potential for harm—the lifting of this ban means that job assessment will be based on skill, talent, and ability to perform rather than on genitalia.

CNN Special Report

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/23/military-to-open-combat-jobs-to-women/

According to the report above, the move is designed to level the playing field and create a gender neutral military. Women serve in all branches of the armed forces. Jobs such as assignments to submarines were once denied to women because of the disruptive potential of having a woman somewhere men would feel compelled to protect her.

Battle Brothers 

In a battle, Marines, soldiers, airmen and sailors defend each other. If a man goes down, his battle brothers are going to protect him. They pick him up and bring him home.  Armed forces are trained to protect each other—so having boobs doesn’t mean those instincts are going to be any less developed or any more deserved. 

Leveling the playing field means the best-of-the-best get the right jobs. As a woman, I am extremely proud of this decision. Women have served our country with distinction for decades and eliminating barriers. The simple truth is that anyone serving in a combat theater is in danger—male or female.

Buy Combat Barbie

Engagement Teams

Jazz (No Regrets, No Surrender) and Mary (Combat Barbie) met when they were assigned to a Female Engagement Team (http://regionalcommandsouthwest.wordpress.com/about/female-engagement-team-usmc/).  They conduct outreach through interaction with women and children and keep up information on local population.

In areas like Iraq and Afghanistan, women are more successful at reaching other women. They spearhead community programs to help local communities and they don’t violate the cultural standards of the local population. Mary and Jazz are very proud of their work.  With the step down of Marine forces in Afghanistan, the FET teams will begin to transfer their work to local forces.

Understanding Service 

In Combat Barbie. Mary returns home for leave just in time for her tenth high school reunion. She is extremely proud of her work and whether FET teams are being stepped down or not, she has no plans to exit her service—she makes a difference every day and plans to keep doing that. 

What women have made a fundamental difference in your life?

About: Heather Long lives in Texas with her family and their menagerie of animals. As a child, Heather skipped picture books and enjoyed the Harlequin romance novels by Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts that her grandmother read to her. Heather believes that laughter is as important to life as breathing and that the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus are very real. In the meanwhile, she is hard at work on her next novel.

DL Jackson Book Bundle - It Could Be Yours!!

Buy DL Jackson Book Bundle HERE

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No Regrets, No Surrender

Buy No Regrets, No Surrender HERE

A little under a year ago, on Black Friday 2011, I decided to write a 1Night Stand featuring high school sweethearts reunited after a decade long separation precipitated by the events on September 11, 2001.  I had no idea when I wrote this first story that I would be sitting here a year later announcing the release of book #6, the follow-up to book #2, with four more turned in and scheduled for release or that I would be planning Marine stories stretching into 2014.

While Marines may be the 'smallest' branch of the U.S. military in the number of men and women who serve, they are among those with the 'largest life' on the page. Becoming a Marine is not simply a matter of enlistment, it's a matter of training, service, and dedication—which is why once a person achieves his or her goal of becoming a Marine, they are always a Marine.  Every Marine has a story and I've tried to capture those tales in these novels. I couldn't be prouder of this work and more delighted that it resonates with readers.

When Retreat Hell! She Just Got Here released in April 2012, readers asked—and in some cases demanded—more of Jazz, Logan and Zach. I wanted to write more about these wonderful characters, too. I am thrilled to announce the release of No Regrets, No Surrender and I invite you to help me tip my hat in salute to every Marine that has served our country and to their families, who also serve.

Freedom is not free and we must always remember that. 

The emotional sequel to Retreat Hell! She Just Got Here. Readers wished for more Jazz, Logan and Zach and the threesome are reunited when the unthinkable happens.

No Regrets, No Surrender

Always a Marine #6

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-61333-420-1

Release Date:  20 Nov 2012

This sixth installment of the Always a Marine series for Decadent Publishing and a first for the series, as a spinoff of Retreat Hell! She Just Got Here. Jazz, Logan and Zach met via a 1NightStand. This is the business name of an exclusive online dating service run by Madame Evangeline who provides her clients with a possibility of happily ever after or happily for now.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of No Regrets, No Surrender will be donated to Fisher House—the real life Mike's Place.

BLURB:

At the end of their night of frenzied passion, Jazz Winters walked away from the only two men who’d ever made her feel like a woman. Logan Cavanaugh and Zach Evans let her go, but only if she swore all her future leaves to them.

Waiting fourteen excruciatingly long months, visiting Jazz when they can, is harder on the guys that they like to admit. But their work at Mike’s Place, a veteran’s rehabilitative facility, only lets Zach and Logan go one at a time. Jazz fears their unconventional relationship can’t last a lifetime. The stress of years of military service in hot zones, combined with life-threatening injuries pushed her to the edge. But when she comes home a wounded warrior, not the woman she believes they want, Zach and Logan are right there to help her, even when she resists.

She’s not alone. Whether she chooses one or both, they have no regrets and they won’t surrender.

**Find all of Heather Long's Always a Marine series books HERE** 

Giveaway

Do you have a favorite branch of the military, have a military-inspired antidote (can be from any country's military!) you'd like to share or been in the armed services? Leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win a copy of any book from Heather's backlist at Decadent Publishing!

 Website | Always a Marine Series | Facebook | Twitter

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Decadent Publishing

Reasons to Love a Marine

by Heather Long

Tuesday marks the release of my fifth Always a Marine 1NS Her Marine.  As release day approaches, butterflies of anticipation tingle in my belly. I find myself nervous and excited in the same breath. I really want readers to love these Marines as much as I do.   I honestly never expected to write a series about Marines, they are alpha warriors who volunteer to serve their country and are prepared at every turn to give the ultimate sacrifice. They’re hard-headed, they’re loyal, and they’re amazing considering that these men and women can be so compassionate.

In Her Marine we meet Lieutenant Brody Essex, one of the last of Luke’s unit to still be on active duty. He’s visiting Dallas on leave and his brothers have arranged a one-night stand for him. Brody needs this night, even though he won’t admit it and they let him save face by convincing him he’s filling in for fellow Marine Matt McCall who is still struggling to settle back into civilian life.

Brody’s date Shannon has her own problems, but not only does he see her struggles and try to understand it--it is Brody who helps her to face them head on and gives her the strength to conquer those fears.  It’s loyalty, compassion, and brotherhood that I found immeasurable.

I asked friends who are related or married to Marines what are their top reasons to love a Marine and here is that list:

·        Loyalty - to family, to country, to their fellow Marines

·        Always ready - they are always ready to face any challenge

·        Life and Liberty - they will fight to the death

·        Friendship - they keep their friends and their Brothers-in-arms close, because they know the value of those relationships

·        Toys for Tots - They’re tough, tough men (and women) with the kindest hearts beneath those hard exteriors

·        Semper Fi - Their sense of Corps and brotherhood is immeasurable

·        Always Ready - They are always prepared, what they learn in the Corp serves them for the rest of their lives

·        Liberty and justice for all - they do not need to know you to be willing to die for you

I have fallen for each of the Marines in my books because they embody so many of these qualities.  What do you love about the Marines?

Her Marine

Shannon Fabray is a sculpture artist and her love of the pure masculine body is demonstrated in every work of aesthetic art she creates. But her passion for the body doesn't extend into her personal life after a hellish experience in college left her with nowhere to turn but her work. After several criticisms about the lack of passion in her sculptures, Shannon is determined to face her fears and take desire by the balls. A one-night stand should do the trick.

2nd Lt. Brody Essex is an active duty Marine with one goal: come home, get rested, go back. Brody isn’t interested in a date arranged through Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand service like the rest of his friends from the Corps have had, but he doesn’t hesitate to fill in for a Brother who can’t go on his own.

The last thing either Shannon or Brody expect is a wondrous, soul deep connection, but is the spark of lust enough to bring the two loners in from the cold?

Excerpt

The woman's voice perfumed the lyrics with forbidden promises. Servers in unrelieved black slipped in and around the tables, delivering drinks and food without disturbing the spell woven on the stage. The woman's sultry Italian didn't detract from the emotion.

Captivated, Brody stared as she massaged emotion from the music.  His heart thudded a quiet counterpoint.  Everything in the room hushed, from the whispers at the tables to the movement of the wait staff.  When a man strolled out to meet the woman, she turned and caught his hand.  He took up the song and it transformed from something provocative to a note that squeezed around his heart.

An echo of movement next to him tugged his gaze from the stage. A pixie took her place next to him.  Her short black curls pinned carefully to frame her porcelain skin.  "They are singing about goodbye," she murmured, her voice almost too low to be heard over the voices twining together, lovers dancing around the notes of the man's baritone and the woman's husky alto.

"I don't know the words," he followed her lead, loathe to break the spell spinning between the two. Somewhere on the stage, dancers moved, but they were so understated, he didn't doubt the crowd wasn't quite aware of them.

"When I'm alone, I dream of the horizon and words fail me.  There is no light in a room where there is no sun."  The woman's words traced the underlying score of the singing.  "And there is no sun if you're not here with me. From every window unfurls my heart, the heart you have won into me you've poured the light, this light you found by the side of the road."

Oddly, tears pricked the back of his eyes at the sweet little catch the pixie woman's voice.  Pulling his gaze from the performers, he canted his head.  Moisture glittered around the woman's impossibly long eyelashes, but she watched the singers, one hand toying with a coin hanging by a silver chain around her neck. 

"She tells him it's time to say goodbye, places that I've never seen or experienced with you, now I shall. I'll sail with you upon ships across the seas, seas that will exist no more.  It's time to say goodbye."